This invention relates to packaging materials, and more particularly to a cushion design, packaging in which the cushion design is used, and methods by which products are protected against damage otherwise possibly occurring due to shock loads (i.e. during distribution).
In developing a package for product protection, some fundamental information about the product is needed. To protect the product from shock, a fragility level must be determined. Fragility is the maximum acceleration and velocity change the product can withstand before damage occurs. This information is charted to form a damage boundary curve. Ideally the fragility level is determined experimentally through a test procedure such as American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) D 3332 “Test Method for Mechanical-Shock Fragility of Products, Using Shock Machines.” Fragility is usually expressed in units of “g's” (gravitational acceleration) and indicates the maximum acceleration the product can withstand without being damaged. Therefore, the more fragile a product is the lower its fragility level or g-factor. Ranges of a typical cushioning system include very delicate (25-40 g's), delicate (40-60 g's), and moderately delicate (60-85 g's)
Once the shock fragility is known for the product, a cushioning material and package configuration that will provide the necessary protection can be developed. Historically, the use of cushion curves helps a designer identify a material, thickness and loading range based on a pre-determined drop height and required acceleration level.
Packaging material and packages capable of handling determined loads are here referred to as having fragility capability. As will be understood, one of the tasks facing a packaging designer is to provide fragility capability suitable for the product to be packaged and the loads which may be imposed during handling. Another of the tasks facing the designer is that of providing material which can be easily fabricated and easily handled by persons preparing products for shipment.
One conventional type of cushion design is known as an end cap. An end cap is used to cover or receive the end of a product being inserted into a box, and in use a pair are positioned between the ends of a (typically) elongated product and the enclosing box. One use of end caps is in packaging notebook computers and computer components such as hard disk drives.